Emmaus Community and Friends,
In January 2017, Emmaus Biblical Seminary celebrated its 50thanniversary. This was a time of rejoicing and thanksgiving for God’s grace that enabled Emmaus to fulfill its calling and mission to develop Christ-like leaders for the transformation of Haiti and the world for five decades!
The 50thanniversary was not only a time of celebration, but also a time of deep reflection and prayer. While looking back on what God has accomplished through Emmaus in the past, we are looking forward to God’s plans for the future of Emmaus. How can Emmaus be strategically positioned to be even more effective in fulfilling its God-given mission? How can Emmaus make an even greater impact for the Kingdom in Haiti in the fifty years to come?
In exploring the will of God through prayer and dialogue with Emmaus stakeholders (including current leadership, students, alumni, and donors) the Emmaus Biblical Seminary Board of Trustees unanimously approved changing the name of the institution from Emmaus Biblical Seminary to Emmaus University of Haiti, effective January 1, 2019.
Of course, theological training for local church leaders will continue to be the core engine and institutional distinctive of Emmaus! The Emmaus Board of Trustees is unwaveringly fixed on theological training as the center of all that Emmaus does. So why the name change?
The stated mission of Emmaus is to develop Christ-like leaders for the transformation of Haiti and the world. This mission is not limited to local church leadership. Through the past number of months, the Emmaus community came to the clear sense that God is calling Emmaus to develop Christ-like leaders not only for the church, but also for other sectors in Haitian society. Haiti needs Christ-like leaders in politics, in education, and in the business sector.
In 2017 Emmaus launched a Master of Education in Instruction and Administration (MEIA). This was our fleece. We wanted to “feel out” what we were sensing from the Holy Spirit by doing a trial run at a degree program for leaders in a sector of society not limited to local church/theological leadership. Over a very short period of time and with very little campaigning for recruitment for the MEIA program, we had a record enrollment of nearly forty students in our very first cohort. This record enrollment and hunger for leadership development in the sector of education helped us realize the urgency for competent leaders in education. In January 2019, we will be starting our second cohort (also with a very healthy enrollment) in the MEIA program, thanks be to God.
Some other changes coming as a direct result of this vision and strategic plan for Emmaus is the development of three schools within the university: (1) School of Theology, (2) School of Business, Entrepreneurship and Leadership, and (3) School of Education. With this, the current tentative schedule for rolling out new degree programs include:
- January 2019: Master of the Arts in Leadership and Administration (MALA)
- Fall 2020: Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS)
- Fall 2020: Bachelor of Business, Entrepreneurship and Leadership (BBEL)
- Fall 2020: Bachelor’s in Education (BEd.)
- Fall 2021: PhD in Transformational Leadership (PhD)
We are excited about the future. We are excited about being a part of God’s work to bring about real and lasting transformation in Haiti through leadership development. We invite you to join us in prayer as we diligently work, by God’s grace and power, to reach optimal effectiveness in fulfilling our mission to develop Christ-like leaders for Haiti and the world.
Matt Ayars
President | Emmaus University of Haiti